FountainBlue

FountainBlue has built its reputation around leadership - the type of leadership that focuses an organization on the next opportunity ahead; the type of leadership that aligns silos to strategic goals, and engage stakeholders at all levels; the type of leadership that parks egos and rallies all behind measurable strategic initiatives; the type of leadership that recognizes, synthesizes and engages all to tackle the technical, cultural, process, communication, infrastructure challenges ahead. As part of its strategic planning services, FountainBlue works with the leadership team for our companies to:

• Connect, align and empower all members of the leadership team around strategic objectives;
• Evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the business;
• Select the best way to grow the technology, market, and team to meet anticipated needs of our current and anticipated new customers; and
• Strategize how to best take the company from Point A to Point B, engaging all stakeholders.

FountainBlue facilitates the conversation at an all-hands, 3-hour strategic planning and follows up with one-on-one or small-team follow-up meetings and conversations to ensure that all stakeholders remain engaged throughout the strategic planning process, with measurable results communicated and objectives clear to all. What sets us apart is:

• Our experienced, creative leadership team with the depth of experience across companies, industries and roles, and the finger-on-the-pulse of today’s market opportunities to facilitate strategic discuss about what’s next for a promising growing company.
• Our process-focused, consensus building listening and communication style, leveraged to facilitate conversation, to build consensus, to rally all parties to the table.
• Our connections to the people and organizations who can meet the marketing, operational, recruitment, product development and process improvement and strategic challenges inherent in taking a company from Point A to Point B.
• Our way of doing business, always looking for a win-for-all, never forcing a fit.

FountainBlue provides strategy, marketing, coaching and recruiting services for growing technology-driven, clean energy and life science start-ups. We specialize in:

• Advisory Board Member and Board Meeting Facilitator: Gathering the right people around the table and facilitating a strategic discussion resulting in priorities tasks, as well as clear and specific roles and actions.
• Marketing Communications: Messaging about what you do for whom, with clarity about who you are, why you’re doing what you’re doing, who you want to serve and what you can do for them now and in the future.
• Business Development and Alliances: Identifying, prioritizing, recruiting, strategic alliance partners for three areas: financial service firms, credit unions/banks and technology companies.
• Advisory board recruitment: strategizing the best roles and people for your advisory board based on your marketing and business development objectives.
• CEO Adviser: General consultation on ongoing strategic and/or day-to-day execution challenges.

For more information, please e-mail us at info@sventrepreneurs.com to tell us how our services may fit your immediate needs. See also below for more information about companies we are already serving. And if you are a member, please follow up and e-mail us a good time to connect over the phone or e-mail to discuss. http://meetwith.me/lindaholroyd.

Bell Biosystems is developing a technology that creates a heritable magnetic signature in therapeutic cells, with huge implications for diagnostics, cancer, regenerative medicine and cell therapies. Our patent-protected technology provides non-invasive in vivo tracking/imaging of cells, replacing costly--typically terminal--techniques. Additionally, our technology allows for a triggered kill-switch in the event something goes awry, with clear implications for new treatments of metastatic cancer. Our team combines 9 PhD’s, 1 MD and proven business leaders. We are securing a few million in funding to further our product development and ultimately help catalyze a revolution in biomedical research, improving quality of life in ways we can only dream today. For more information, visit http://www.bellbiosystems.com.

Speck Design, a uniquely business-centric, product strategy and design firm, enables both promising smaller organizations and established enterprises to create innovative products and services that achieve maximum business impact. In business for 15+ years, Speck Design draws on its deep reservoir of customer insight, design, and engineering expertise, infused with business acumen at every phase of each project, to distill the needs of its customers and their customers, leading to successful commercialization. With a concept-to-marketing approach and extensive cross-training of all its team members, the firm collaborates with customers in automotive, cleantech, consumer, data communications, industrial, medical, robotics and other industries to deliver products that simultaneously address form, function, aesthetic, and ROI challenges. For more information, visit http://www.speckdesign.com.

She is well-connected.

• Linda’s amazing ability to connect people and ideas are helping businesses to move to the next level.  
• Linda gathers the right people for mind-shifting conversations and facilitates introductions that build companies.
• It is clearly Linda's caring nature and thoughtfulness which attracts talented individuals who share the same values.  Linda leverages this impressive network to ensure that we support each other in our quest.

She is experienced.

• Since she launched FountainBlue in January 2006, Linda Holroyd has connected, inspired, informed and empowered a wide swatch of the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial community.
• What Linda has personally done with FountainBlue in such a short period of time is nothing short of extraordinary. She models the way, walks the talk and speaks from her learnings as well as her experience.
• Linda Holroyd is an exceptionally organized, productive and positive person. She is skilled at creating and executing a plan and leveraging resources to generate amazing results, bringing all these skills with her to her recruiting and consulting practice.
• Linda has tremendous bandwidth for understanding complex technical facts well enough to converse on the business opportunities, implications and direction.
• Linda has a magical gift of cutting to the core of an issue, whether it’s a personal or professional one, with speed and efficiency and a great deal of kindness.
• Conversations with Linda are always both inspiring and mind-opening. She has done wonders for both my business and my personal life.

She is strategic and collaborative.

• Linda is equally impressive at articulating the vision I'm seeking, and setting things in motion to make it happen. She is scary smart and equally kind and compassionate.
• Linda always engages all stakeholders and helps them find and rally behind the win-win for everyone.
• Linda Holroyd has both a broad perspective for big ideas and the ability to do the important details to get things done. I am very supportive of her activities and her passion.  
• Linda is not only a very kind and thoughtful human being, but she is also a phenomenal business woman with the experience, connections and results to back her grand vision. Moreover, it’s so amazing to see her apply her gifts to lucky others around her!
• Linda is an entrepreneur who follows her heart, uses her brain and finds opportunities in each situation.
• Linda works with our team to identify what is either missing or not right around you, while giving us all permission to build something new for the betterment of us all.  
• Linda combines a crystal clear understanding of business management with an enormous amount of energy for producing results. She works at the speed of light, cuts through complexity, focusing on the core of what needs to be done. She can be relied upon without fail and has the highest integrity of anyone I know.

She is creative, inspiring, innovative and passionate, and always thinks outside the box, giving you ideas that stretch you and your company.

• Linda inspires us to try new things, go beyond the comfort zone, get out there and expose ourselves to the world and constantly change and improve. She models the way, subtly but consistently, and I and others have greatly benefited from our association with Linda and FountainBlue.
• Linda has tremendous drive, a sound business sense and excellent people skills and can be counted upon to make things happen!  
• I’ve worked with hundreds of corporate executives at all levels, but Linda’s business savvy, creative ideas, collaborative style and results-orientation make her stand out.
• Linda presents information in a way that makes people see more clearly and has an extraordinary ability to translate skills into actual positions and markets. She is a powerhouse of information and full of compassionate understanding and support!
• I have never seen anyone so deeply listen, so quickly get it, and then apply it to practical ways to build momentum for my business. It is quite impressive.
• Linda's energy, positive attitude and desire to roll up her sleeves and get things done is contagious! Linda is also a good listener and an active and empathetic solution provider who is adept at connecting individuals and organizations to opportunities.
• Linda doesn’t get the technical details about our company, but her razor sharp focus on the business and people issues have fundamentally changed the way we see our business, and the direction our business is going.
• Linda is one of us. Her wise counsel is worth reading, saving, and taking to heart.